Copper Star Cellars is pleased to announce that our 2013 Orgasm has placed 1st in the category of dessert wine at the San Angelo Texas Rodeo Wine Competition.

SAN ANGELO, TX - A new Texas wine competition will be part of next year's stock show and rodeo.

A panel of five judges tasted more than 60 entries to be featured in the wine tent at this year's rodeo.

Only wines produced in Texas are entered in the "Rustic Wine Barrel" wine contest and  because of all the entries, the judging took several days at Bentwood Country Club.

The winning wines will be featured in a newly expanded wine tent that will be open at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.  

The first performance will take place February 1, 2019.

​Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 9:47 pm
By Jared Meisinger The Herald-Zeitung

Before I took a job at the Herald-Zeitung I had moved to Austin to spend the summer with my uncle. 

I still hadn’t technically graduated — I needed a 10-week, 400-hour internship to accomplish that. (Don’t get me started on how ridiculous it is that a student is required to do 400 hours of work in a position that is traditionally unpaid.) 
But this newspaper gave me that — then hired me. I guess I can’t complain.
I had never heard of New Braunfels before and had no idea what to expect. But after a few weeks here it hit me: I had heard of this city before. Or at least the area.
As a journalism student, I was an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal — required for multiple journalism classes at Iowa State University — and the New York Times. As it turned out, I eventually remembered reading in both publications’ travel sections about the Texas Hill Country, and particularly how it’s the new American Mecca for wine.
Like Dry Comal Creek, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, Copper Star Cellars Winery is a bright spot for the area’s wine community.

The winery is described by the owning Mund family as a family affair — involving Jeff and Denise Mund and their sons Brandon and Kristopher.
They started off as a vineyard 11 years ago, but lost every bit of it that year to Pierce’s Disease, a bacterial infection. They replanted the second year and have since moved wines to as far as San Angelo and the Dallas area.
Jeff and Denise said Copper Star shares grapes with other vineyards and vice versa. They share with vineyards like Lost Maples and Dry Comal Creek, as well as one in Brownsfield near Lubbock. They’re even talking with Salt Lick BBQ, which owns a vineyard, about sharing with them.

“The Texas wine industry has become a fraternity. Everyone helps each other out,” Jeff Mund said.
I tried three of their wines at their private tasting room on Tuesday and they were all fantastic in completely different ways — which is definitely a good thing. Copper Star “tries to keep it boutique, on purpose,” Jeff said, meaning, for instance, they don’t have a public tasting room. Instead, they sell their bottles to restaurants, liquor and grocery stores, and private buyers.
But they do have a quaint, private tasting room on Mill Street that I stopped by at this week. I tried their three mainstay wines — the Red Table, Sweet White and Blush wines. I also tried their flagship Reserve, which was a treat.
The Red Table is Copper Star’s take on a house red. A perfect complement to a meal, the Red Table has strong floral and tobacco tones with a spicy finish. It’s a great beverage and it would be my suggestion to the general public.
But for those looking for something a little sweeter, Copper Star has both a Sweet White and a Blush. The Sweet White, a moscato, is their lead seller in Gruene. As a moscato, it’s sweet and citrusy — perfect for anyone who likes wines in the style of sweet, white wines like Rieslings or a Gewürztraminer.
The Blush is still sweet, but not nearly to the point of the white. “It’s an every day kind of wine,” Jeff said. And he’s right. The sweetness is mild but still accented by fruity tones like berries. It’s balanced and has a nice acidic finish.

The fourth wine I tried hasn’t really gone to market yet (I know, I’m lucky). It’s the Copper Star Reserve, of which they made just 150 cases of this year. Last year, the wine sold out in just over two months. It’s not too acidic and the flavor profile changes as it aerates. Give it 20 minutes and it’s like a whole different wine.
“People have been begging us to get it back on the market,” Jeff said.
It’s primarily for restaurants and private buyers, so if you see it at a place like Myron’s or McAdoo’s, I suggest grabbing a glass. The Munds said they’ve had drinkers compare it to $100-bottles of wine ­— and this one’s price point is about $25. The other three are sitting around the $10 area and are available at places like R&H and Arlan’s.

Seguin and New Braunfels are big markets for Copper Star — their vineyard is in the sand hills between Seguin and Nixon — and they’ve won several medals for each of their wines, except the Reserve, which is going to competition next month.
Jeff Mund said they don’t have a tasting room because they’re trying to keep it as simple as possible, but they are available for private tastings like the one I had — and he said they’ve also gone to offices for other private events.
For more information about the wines, vineyard or winery, visit www.copperstarcellars.com.
Jared Meisinger covers the bar, club and entertainment scene for the Herald-Zeitung.